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About 40 members and guests gathered at Henninger Media Services in Arlington, VA for a roundtable discussion of current issues and solutions in HD production workflow.

After a brief introduction by president Rob Henninger, senior staff members explored how their particular specialties are being affected by HD and how they help clients navigate these new waters. Participants included Director of Engineering Sam Crawford, Senior Editor Jef Huey, Senior Colorist Lauren Meschter and Senior Audio Mixer Rob Fritts.

The discussion--with much interplay from the SMPTE audience--ranged from up- and down-conversion, to color-correction for video vs. film, to mixing and delivering surround soundtracks. The panel shared many anecdotes from actual jobs which raised such questions of concern as the state of reference monitoring (LCD vs. the disappearing CRT), audio metadata (nobody’s prepared to deal with it), and how to handle the choice of HD or SD colorspace (SD is still winning due to cost considerations).

The panel also stressed the need to consider final deliverables--master tapes and files--as the starting point in determining an HD project’s workflow. The materials that are required, and how the final product will be used, may ultimately drive decisions all the way back to the choice of acquisition formats.

Following the discussion a great deal of side conversation ensued during short tours of Henninger’s ever-evolving facility. Many thanks to Rob Henninger, Fred Elliott and the panel participants for a lively discussion as well as excellent food and drink.